Rescue Me
by Chick Feed
Summary: Shark bait or exposé? It seems Sam is destined for one or the other. Luckily, Dean is around, and he's never failed to try to rescue Sam...Not yet anyway. One chapter ficlet, just because.


Disclaimer : It was my birthday recently, but nobody gave me any ownership rights :(

A.N. Day's too miserable for the beach, so thought I'd send S & D instead. One shot ficlet.

**Rescue Me!  
**_Shark bait or exposé? It seems Sam is destined for  
__one or the other. Luckily, Dean is around, and he's  
__never failed to try to rescue Sam...Not yet anyway.  
_**-oOo-**

John Winchester's co-ordinates had sent his son's to a job in California on the outskirts of L.A. With the job completed quicker than expected, they found themselves not having to check out of the motel till the following day and with a chunk of free time to enjoy. They had an early morning clear blue sky (if you ignored the smog). Already warm, the day promised to stay sunny and keep on getting warmer. The brothers had decided to enjoy their unplanned opportunity by driving to the beach and settling in for some serious chill time and scenery watching before hitting a couple of bars that evening. Sam had virtually bounced around their motel room, excitedly gathering together things he thought would be useful to have with them at the beach. After grabbing two motel bath towels, Sam had then targeted the sitting area, relieving the two tub chairs of their plaid patterned throws.

Watching his younger brother and seeing his clear delight at the prospect of a day by the sea, Dean teased him good humouredly.  
"You plannin' on takin' any more textiles with us Sammy? How about those curtains? Should I get the bed sheets as well?"  
"Nah, they'll clash horribly with the plaid. We _do_ need to hit a clothing store though. I need shorts an' beach shoes. You too Dean."  
Dean curled his upper lip in distaste.  
"Why?"  
Sam fixed his brother with a steady gaze until Dean finally raised his hands in surrender.  
"Fine! You win. Guess I'm goin' shoppin'."

Sam took time and care over his purchases. With his sunglasses on and wearing a pair of above knee, neatly fitted white shorts he'd managed to unearth at the bargain store, along with a dark blue tee and navy blue canvas shoes, Sam managed to look like he'd just disembarked from an expensive yacht. Dean however, not so much. Still sitting in the Impala, he gazed ruefully down at his hurried 'they'll do' purchases. His dark grey tee was now teamed with a screamingly bright, multi-coloured pair of thoroughly baggy shorts which reached down to the tops of his calves. On his feet he wore a pair of rose red canvas shoes. Dean could just imagine himself wearing the outfit in some isolated backwoods where he was the last surviving member of a group of camping friends, and was trying to out-stagger the big, dumb guy with the chainsaw and a wooden leg.

Recognising why his brother was looking glum, Sam stepped in and attempted to offer his older brother some moral support.  
"Dean, you look fine. Honestly! You're gonna fit in great with the beach crowd."  
Dean smiled to himself, having just adjusted his internal image to reflect his surety that any big dumb guy with a chainsaw would, in reality, actually be trying to out-run _him_! Determindly climbing out of the car, he cast his younger brother a stern look.  
"_Wrong _Sammy. I'm gonna be stand out. See, _they'll_ all be towin' around like baggy legged collage geeks...No offence...Whereas me? _I'm_ so hot I can wear this shit an make it look cool!"

One of the most popular beaches on the Californian coast, Santa Monica beach was already alive with people of all ages out to make the most of the sun; their numbers increased by families and kids, a clear sign that schools and collages were on a mid-term break. A vacant parking space placed the brothers within the vicinity of the central pier. It didn't take them long to choose a spot and hire a lounger each. While Dean donned his sunglasses and settled in for some serious chill time, Sam was dispatched to hunt down breakfast. Dean watched his kid brother stroll off, quickly realising that he wasn't the only one following Sam's progress as virtually every female Sam passed, along with a good number of individual males, all swivelled their heads, determined to keep him in sight for as long as they could.

Carefully carrying their food and coffee's, Sam's return journey to his older brother attracted just as much attention. Dean grinned broadly, Sam's body language and expression telling him that Sam was completely unaware of the impact he was having and the appreciative audience he was attracting. Sam frowned down at his brother.  
"Ok, spill...What's the idiot grin for?"  
Sighing dramatically, Dean slowly shook his head.  
"Ahhh, little brother of mine. May you always remain so innocent to the power of your booty."  
"My...? _Huh_?"  
Dean smiled and nodded at something behind Sam.  
"Hi ladies. Enjoyin' the view today?"  
A chorus of female voices answered Dean with '_Hell_ yes!', and all became clear to the younger Winchester. Blushing, Sam slowly turned to face and smile hesitantly at the five collage students that Dean was now introducing himself and his brother to.

Dean was in his element, entertaining and charming the bevy of sun-kissed young women who had, as one, happily re-located themselves and their loungers closer to the brothers. Bolstered by Dean's relaxed, easy way with women, Sam soon dumped his prior embarrassment in favour of enjoying the company of the engaging and fun loving five.

One of the girls, a blue eyed brunette named Jackie, suddenly leapt to her feet. Grinning she grabbed hold of Sam's hand and tugged at him.  
"Right ev'rybody! There's an ocean goin' to waste. Last one in buys ice-creams. C'mon Sam, race you!"  
Millie, a spiky haired red head, grabbed the girls' beach-ball then reached for Dean.  
"You too handsome, up you get!"

Once in the water the group split up. Dean, Millie and two other girls, Faye and Penny, were happy to splash around with the beach-ball, venturing no more than waist deep. Sam, Jackie and another brunette called Roo were the more serious swimmers amongst the group and together the began swimming straight out from the shore as they headed for deep water. Dean automaticaly kept looking out to sea and checking on his brother's progress. Eventually Sam and the girls had got further from the shore than Dean felt comfortable about, yet the threesome showed no signs of stopping. With Sam now taking the lead, they kept on heading out. Trying to shake his growing anxiety, Dean told himself he was being dumb and forced himself to turn his attention back onto the three girls he was with.

There was the sound of a wet slap as, for a third time, the beach-ball smacked into the side of Dean's face. Millie, his team mate in an improvised game of water volley ball, groaned.  
"Partner! Keep your eye on the ball will you?"  
Ruefully rubbing where the ball had hit, Dean smiled,  
"Did...Kind'a."  
Millie squinted out to sea, picking out the three heads of her friends and Sam.  
"Your brother's a good swimmer, there's some fairly strong currents once you get out that far."  
Dean grimaced.  
"Thanks for sharin' that."

Millie cocked her head on one side, noticing the frown Dean wore as he stared in the direction of the trio of swimmers. She linked her arm in Dean's and smiled up at him.  
"Aww honey. Don't you worry about your brother now. Jackie an' Roo will look out for him. I'm sure they'll be turnin' back soon."  
Feeling much of the tension leave Dean, she gave him a wink.  
"The only thing they have'ta look out for is the sharks, then they'll be fine."

Dean dragged his arm free of Millie's hold, a pair of anxiety filled green eyes drilled into her.  
"Sharks? _What _sharks?"  
Millie raised one hand, signalling to Dean that he should calm down.  
"_Hey man! _Cool it, it was just a joke. A really _bad_ joke obviously. It's fine Dean, really. Take a look round. You really think all these parents would let their kids go play in the water if it was dangerous?"  
Dean contemplated how close to shore the children played, and how far away Sam looked to be.  
"Exactly what species of shark commonly hang out round here?"

The intensity of Dean's questioning surprised Millie and she answered him quickly.  
"Mainly Mako an' juvenile whites..."  
Dean stared at the girl in a mixture of horror and disbelief.  
"_Great _whites?"  
"_Juveniles _Dean. Listen, I _swear_ you'r brother's..."  
Already backing up and aiming for the safety of the beach, the volume Dean managed to produce completely drowned out the rest of Millie's sentence.  
"SAM...GET BACK HERE..._NOW_!...I MEAN IT..._RIGHT NOW_!"

A low murmuring began to spread through the sun worshippers within the area. A dozen or so got to their feet and, shading their eyes with their hands, they stared out to sea. A handful of those who stood reached for their phones, their ugly hope being to record a shark attack on a human. A male voice from amongst the beach crowd shouted over to Dean, "_Is it a shark attack? What's the problem dude?" _The murmuring immediately increased in volume and began to spread, more people stood up, and a crowd began to form at the water's edge behind Dean and the three girls. Furious, Millie turned to face them.  
"Listen up. There's no attack so take your sick blood lust an' get back to your tans, you douches! The guy's just shouting his brother in is all, now how about you all_ fuck off_ !"  
"Hey, bitch! _I_ was only askin' in case you needed help!"

Dean reluctantly turned away from watching and waiting for Sam to turn towards shore. He stared in surprise at the number of people now standing at the water's edge, the majority of whom were at that moment glaring at Millie and her two friends who were now at her side, all three of them angrily glaring right back at the crowd. With a quiet sigh, Dean strode into the middle of the opposing sides, his soaking wet and offensively garish shorts now thoroughly and very uncomfortably folding and clinging to his skin.  
"_Hey everybody_, let's just all cool it. This' my bad. I took an urgent call for my brother. He's a doctor and the hospital need his advice. I never thought how my yellin' might sound to all you guys. I'm really sorry. Please, get back to enjoyin' this beautiful day. Again, I'm sorry."  
The unidentified male's voice carried out from the crowd again.  
"Yeah, an' I'm sorry 'bout callin' the hot chick a bitch. Hope the doctor manages to help the hospital out pal."  
Dean answered in the direction the voice came from.  
"I know he will. Thanks."  
The gathered watchers began to break up and gradually re-claim their previous spots in the sun.

Focusing his attention back onto Sam, Dean was relieved to see his brother and the girls had begun swimming in the direction of the beach. Millie came to stand by him.  
"I'd no idea Sam was a Doctor, I suppose he's datin' another Doctor at the hospital?"  
Dean answered without looking at the girl.  
"No, he's not datin' anyone, an' he's not a Doctor either. I only said that to help calm things down. Sorry to disappoint you."  
Millie smiled slowly and moved from where she stood, positioning herself right in front of Dean, her body almost touching his. Tilting her head back she gazed directly into Dean's eyes.  
"Apology accepted...How about you? What're you like at _pretendin'_ to be a Doctor? 'Cos I think I might need a house call later, an' a _thorough_ examination."  
Tearing himself away from watching Sam, Dean hiked one eyebrow as he returned Millie's penetrating gaze. Before he could respond, a high pitched female voice screamed piercingly from somewhere close by_.  
_"_Shark! Behind the Doctor and his friends! Shark!"_

Dean felt his heart leap into his throat. The female kept on screaming, rousing all within earshot while Dean, screwing his eyes up against the sun reflecting off the sea, scanned the surface of the water around Sam and the girls. Suddenly he saw it, a fin breaking the surface just yards behind the swimmers, he saw it glisten where the sun caught the water droplets on it, watched in horror as the fin disappeared underwater again, and felt both his knees turn dangerously weak. He could only whisper,  
"Sammy. No."

Dean didn't have a snowball in hell's chance of out swimming the shark. Even so, heart pounding, he side-lined his own terror and forced his legs into a run, racing through the shallows, desperate to hit water deep enough to start swimming. He didn't noticed another male also running into the shallows off to Dean's right. Stopping when he was knee deep, the guy raised a pair of binos to his eyes and began scanning the sea around the three swimmers. Within seconds Millie was by the guy's side and delivering a bruising punch to his arm.  
"_Sicko_! You put those away or I _swear_, I'll break the binos then I'll strangle your nuts!"  
The guy pulled the binos away from his eyes and turned to Millie, rolling his eyes when he saw her.  
"Jeeze! _You_ again. Listen, before your panties get any more knotted, you might wanna call the hero back? It's just a dolphin that's curious about the Doc and his friends, ok? Oh, an' you might wanna consider goin' on a date with me Miss Hot Chick, instead of constantly threatenin' me. The name's Connor. How about that date?"

Happy to be firmly planted back on warm sand, Dean gazed through Connor's binos, grinning while he watched the dolphin playfully darting around and between Sam and the girls as they continued back to shore, all be it more slowly now Flipper had captured their attention. He knew he would be subjected to hours of Sam telling him what an awesome experience it was, but he didn't mind. Sam was safe and right now was having a close encounter of the third kind with one of his favourite creatures, purely because the wild animal itself had chosen to interact with the trio. Dean managed to push away the suddenly occurring thought that Richard Dreyfuss had starred in 'Close Encounters', and also in 'Jaws.' Dean shook his head to clear it, telling himself that the Dreyfuss thing wasn't a sign, it was just a coincidence..._Right_?

The dolphin stuck around until the swimmers were roughly forty yards or so off shore then left. With the friendly dolphin gone, Sam and the girls began to pick up their pace, and Dean suddenly felt in need of an emergency cold beer before he had to face Sam and tell him why he had hollered at the top of his lungs the command that Sam get back to the beach. Dean expected one of two reactions from his little brother...Anger at Dean for ordering him around in front of the beach crowd, or laughter and ridicule because of the reason behind Dean's action. Dean seriously hoped Sam would go with the anger option.

Back at their loungers, Dean sat down, trying to look relaxed, and opened a beer for himself and another for Sam. Turning his head towards the sea, Dean was in time to see Sam had made it to the shallows. When Sam stood up, the water was up to his thighs. Pausing momentarily to push his wet hair back off his face, Sam began wading to shore. A single appreciative whistle was very swiftly backed up with cheering and clapping that began with those people nearest the waters edge, then rapidly spread. Delighted background laughter was accompanied by an increasing orchestra of loud whistling from amongst the sun worshippers, many of whom were taking pictures of Sam via their phones. Male and female voices began competing with one another, all calling out to Sam who gazed around at his admiring audience in abject confusion. For maybe a second, Dean was torn. He could easily go to his brother's rescue, or... Dean decided the moment was too enjoyable to miss and he remained on the sun lounger, beaming while he watched Sam's progress and tuned into some of the comments being thrown in Sam's direction.

"Hey dude, can I have your number?" "Honey this way, over here." "No Babe, bring it this way!" "Hey handsome...I want your babies" " My God hot and gorgeous, let me be your sugar daddy." "Gimme your body!" "Me first." "Whew sweetie, I'm in Heaven!" "Turn round big boy, lemme look again!" "Move your head woman, let me see..._Oh my_!" "Whoa! No magnifyin' glass required!" "Zoot alors!" "Is it real?"

As the shouts, whistles and applause carried on all around him, the content of the comments that Sam made out out finally struck home and, terrifyingly, it began to dawn on him what the potential reason for his new popularity might be. Feeling slightly nauseous, as discreetly as he could Sam glanced down at himself, and his worst fear was realised. The ridiculously cheap white shorts he'd been so pleased to find became virtually invisible on contact with water. Sam was mortified. He daren't run back to his lounger, that would guarantee even more attention than he was already getting, but there was nowhere to hide, and absolutely nothing happened when he hurriedly prayed to die. Scarlet with embarrassment his eyes sought out his brother for help. Spotting Dean and their lounger further up the beach, Sam threw everything he had into his pleading expression; but that morphed into fury when, grinning broadly, Dean simply raised a bottle of beer to him in salute.

Snarling, Sam snatched a towel off the nearest lounger and wrapped it around his waist as he stormed towards Dean, the sound of the crowds applause and whoops following him. Dean scrambling to his feet and moving so the two loungers were between him and his angry brother didn't stop Sam, he simply strode over them. Hands raised in front of himself defensively, Dean continued backing off, reversing around the loungers that Faye and Penny were stretched out on, keeping the occupied loungers in between Sam and himself, much to the watching girls' amusement. The fact that Dean himself was laughing while protesting didn't help to erase Sam's angry glare in the slightest.

"_Whoa_ there Sammy. S'not _my_ fault you're wearin' invisipants. _You_ chose 'em. An' bro'? I gotta admit, they're a _big_ hit!"  
Sam made a grab for his still laughing brother, missing when Dean ducked.  
"Why didn't you help me, bitch? You could'a brought me a towel. _Stand still will you_?"  
"No _way_, you'll hit me. An' anyway I _did_ do somethin' helpful, jerk. I opened a beer for you."  
Sam paused, loosing his look of anger too quickly for it to have been real.  
"You did? Seriously?"  
Dean stopped jogging backwards.  
"Yeah, I did. 'Cos that's the kinda awesome big brother I am."  
"Maybe, _sometimes."  
__"_You mean _all the ti_me."  
"More like now an' then."  
"Right, so that's _constantly_."  
"I'll go as far as occasionally."  
"So you think I'm a permanently awesome big brother too?...Good to know we still always agree with me in the end."

FIN.  
-oOo-  
Chick xxxxx


End file.
